The HMS Prince of Wales (Pennant number 53) is a King George V-class battleship in the British Royal Navy. The second ship of her class, she was laid down on January 1, 1937; launched on May 3, 1939; and commissioned on March 31, 1941. Even before she was completed, the ship saw action. In August 1940, while still under construction, she was attacked by a German aircraft. A 100-kilogram bomb exploded underwater near the hull, causing severe flooding because the pumping system had not yet been installed. With the help of the local fire station, however, the water was pumped out and the damage was repaired. The completion of the battleship then proceeded at a rapid pace.

On May 22, 1941, before completing all her trials, the Prince of Wales set out to intercept the German battleship Bismarck alongside the battlecruiser HMS Hood. On May 24, the famous Battle of the Denmark Strait took place, during which Hood sank. The Prince of Wales managed to hit the Bismarck, causing an oil leak and allowing the German battleship to be tracked. However, the British battleship also sustained damage, though not from enemy fire. The "A1" gun jammed after the first shot, and the battleship's rotation mechanism failed when it turned away from the enemy and opened fire with the aft "Y" turret. The battleship was hit several times by German ships but suffered no serious damage other than the destruction of the conning tower. By evening, the two battleships had closed in on each other again, and the Prince of Wales opened fire, guided by radar. It is believed that she scored no hits. This time, turret "A" jammed completely. Afterwards, the battleship headed for the coast of Iceland. In August 1941, the Prince of Wales carried British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to Newfoundland for talks with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

By the end of the year, she had been transferred to the Far East Station. On December 8, 1941, Force Z—consisting of the battleship Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser Repulse —set out to sea with the aim of sinking a Japanese convoy and preventing Japanese landings in Malaysia. Despite the order from Force Z's commander, Admiral Phillips, to return to base on the evening of December 9, the ships were spotted by Japanese reconnaissance aircraft the following morning and subsequently attacked by bombers. Japanese aircraft carried out several waves of attacks for approximately two hours. The Repulse sank first, and at 1:10 p.m., the Prince of Wales began to list. Just ten minutes later, the battleship capsized and sank, claiming the lives of 327 sailors and officers, including Admiral Phillips.

The HMS Prince of Wales was introduced in Update 2.53 "Line of Contact", in her final 1941 configuration. The battleship has fairly good main battery guns, though they lack in penetration. It also has a powerful and versatile secondary battery with HE-VT shells and extremely robust armor. However, her disadvantages include a weak battery of small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery and mediocre mobility.